Crime was the topic of the French Quarter Management District's September board meeting. The particular focus was ironing out finals details of a plan to provide areas of the French Quarter with more off-duty NOPD officers -- starting on Bourbon Street.

“We are to move forward in terms of getting insurance in place and preparing what is called a cooperative endeavor agreement between the city and ourselves to put this policing in place,” said Robert Watters, chair of the French Quarter Management District.

In addition to details in high traffic parts of the Quarter, people will soon see members of the NOLA patrol handling smaller situations. Members of the French Quarter Management District say the visibility of more uniformed NOPD officers is the best way to handle the crime situation overall.

“Having the officers on the street, walking the beat, is definitely really important to us. We've seen with the state troopers here, a decrease in crimes against persons. That's because there's a lot more police visibility,” said Bob Simms, a French Quarter resident and member of the French Quarter Management District.

Simms and the board understand that getting that visibility won't happen overnight. In the meantime, they appreciate the plan of NOLA Patrol to help free up NOPD officers to handle more serious stations. Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey thinks it will be a great supplement to the department, but she says the patrol cannot be the long term crime plan for the Quarter.

"Fifty NOLA patrols -- that's not a whole lot,” said Ramsey. “We need the crime cameras, we need the full-staffed police force and we need community policing. We need our officers walking a beat.”